Nvidia has launched the first GPUs based on its next-generation Kepler graphics architecture.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 GPU is for desktop gaming, while the new lineup of GeForce 600M GPUs is meant for ultrabooks.

Kepler is based on 28nm process technology and succeeds the 40-nm Nvidia Fermi architecture, which was first introduced into the market in March 2010.

Compared with the closest competitive product, the GeForce GTX 680 GPU is more than 300% faster in DirectX 11 tessellation performance and up to 43% faster in cutting-edge games, yet consumes 28% less power, the vendor claimed. It also provides twice the performance per watt of the GeForce GTX 580, the flagship Fermi-based processor that it replaces.

In 2018, global server shipments will grow 8.5% to reach 13.73 million units. Digitimes Research estimates server shipments worldwide will grow at a CAGR of 6.5% during the period 2017-2022, with growth mainly driven by large-scale data centers and the China market.

Digitimes Research estimates total shipments of smartphone APs worldwide will grow 1.5% on year to 1.67 billion units in 2018. The slowing growth in the smartphone market means global smartphone AP shipments will only grow at a mild pace in the next few years, reaching 1.77 billion units in 2021.